Pseudonortonia quadra, Selis, 2024

Pseudonortonia quadra nov.sp. ( Fig. 2 View Fig )

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype: ♀, labeled "Durban, / Natal / 18.3.1922 / C. N. Barker / Bluff // N. [indecifrable] / quadrata n.sp. / Giordani Doika det. 193 // PARATYPUS [red label] // Pseudonortonia quadra / HOLOTYPUS ♀ / Det. Marco Selis [red label] (MSNVE).

D i a g n o s i s: Pseudonortonia quadra belongs to the same group as P. bacca , already characterized in the diagnosis of the latter. In this group, P. quadra is closely related to P. depressa , from which it is differentiated by: proportionally shorter head, clypeus shorter and more narrowly emarginate, macropunctures of clypeus deeper and larger ( Fig. 2C View Fig ), vertex with a single median tubercle between posterior ocelli ( Figs 2 View Fig C-2D), gena narrower and with nearly straight occipital carina, punctures of mesosoma much sparser, pronotal carina stronger and well evident for whole length, posterior lobe of tegula wider and more rounded on outer margin, propodeal shelf shorter in the middle, dorsal carinae of propodeum much more developed in dorsal half but all other carinae nearly absent, metasoma with much shallower and sparser punctures, especially on T1 ( Fig. 2E View Fig ), apex of T2 somewhat depressed and with a wide impunctate area, S2 more convex basally.

D e s c r i p t i o n:

Female ( Figs 2 View Fig A-2B). Body length: 7.0 mm; fore wing length: 6.0 mm. Head 1.1 times as wide as high. Clypeus as long as wide; weakly and evenly convex, smoothly passing into interantennal space, disc separated from sides by a pair of longitudinal shallow folds that exceed the middle of the clypeus; apical margin shallowly emarginate and 0.25 times as wide as clypeus, lateral teeth slightly pointing outward but rounded at apex; lateral margin of free apical part with a shallowly reflexed lamella in basal half ( Fig. 2C View Fig ). Area between posterior ocelli with an anteroposteriorly compressed median tubercle, slightly pointing forward; vertex 1.8 times as long as the distance between ocellus and eye margin, strongly sloping from ocelli to occipital carina ( Fig. 2D View Fig ); gena about half as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus, with nearly straight posterior margin; occipital carina complete and sharp throughout, preceded by a shallow furrow on vertex. Antenna very short, F1 weakly longer than wide, F2 subquadrate, F3-9 markedly wider than long and becoming progressively shorter except for F9. Mesosoma elongate and 1.75 times as long as wide, subcylindrical. Pronotum in dorsal view with weakly convex and subparallel sides, humerus very obtuse, almost evenly rounded; pronotal carina complete and well visible for whole length, sharper on dorsal face, almost evenly rounded from side to side except for very weak sinuosity on humerus; anterior face of pronotum with a transverse elliptical fovea in the middle, just below pronotal carina; dorsal face of pronotum convex and smoothly passing into lateral face, median area between mesoscutum and pronotal carina somewhat convex, therefore the pronotal carina is placed below level of mesoscutum. Mesoscutum distinctly longer than wide, anterolateral margins strongly converging anteriorly; parategula claw-shaped and strongly curved, the pointed apex is placed more medially than the base. Tegula with maximum width in the anterior half, posterior lobe weakly acute and equaling parategula, with rounded outer margin. Scutellum longer than wide and flattened, smoothly passing into mesoscutum and metanotum, anterior margin with a median pit. Metanotum very small and weakly oblique, with somewhat convex basal angles. Mesepisternum generally weakly convex, but strongly projecting posteroventrally; furrows very shallow and crenate; epicnemial carina distinct but dull below transverse furrow, replaced by an indistinct fold of the surface above the furrow. Metaepisternum with a sharp transverse carina near upper margin. Propodeum elongate, in dorsal view about as long as scutellum; dorsal faces weakly convex and forming an horizontal shelf, which is medially depressed and shorter than metanotum; lateral face flattened except for pit formed between submarginal and inferior carina; posterior face sharply delimited and concave, mid-line with a sharp longitudinal carina; dorsal carinae of propodeum sharp in dorsal half, disappearing below, lateral carinae barely indicated, ventral carina sharp but little visible, submarginal carina produced in a long and narrow pointed projection, not fused with ventral carina; propodeal valvula produced in a subrectangular lobe and not completely fused to submarginal carina. T1 trapezoidal in dorsal view, with basal margin corresponding to the basal transverse carina and narrower than apical margin, sides weakly but distinctly converging anteriorly; post-carinal area in dorsal view medially shorter than apically wide, in lateral view almost forming an even curvature with the pre-carinal area, then shallowly depressed in posterior half; transverse basal carina connecting spiracles but not continuing after them, roundly projecting in the middle; apical margin very shallowly inflated.T2 longer than wide and wider than T1, with sides mostly subparallel; weakly and evenly convex on lateral view, with somewhat depressed preapical area; apical margin slightly thickened and crenulate ( Fig. 2E View Fig ). S 2 in lateral view basally more convex than T2, then of similar curvature; base of S2 somewhat depressed in the middle.

Clypeus with very sparse small deep punctures and micropunctate interspaces, micropunctures sparser on disc; some very weak longitudinal rugosities are observed in the apical half. Head, pronotum and mesoscutum densely and deeply punctate, interspaces narrower than puncture diameter but always distinct and shiny, finely micropunctate. Scutellum more sparsely punctured than mesoscutum. Metanotum with few scattered deep punctures, leaving the basal angles completely smooth. Mesepisternum shiny, very densely micropunctate with few scattered deep punctures, all interspaces equal to several puncture diameters, only epimeron very densely punctate with ridge-line interspaces. Metaepisternum mostly smooth an shiny, with crenate anterior margin. Dorsal faces of propodeum with large and shiny flat-bottomed cells, interspaces narrow to ridge-like but always microstriate and matte; lateral face with cells similar to dorsal face but much shallower, anteroventral corner with very fine transverse striae; posterior face shiny and finely obliquely striate. T1 with very sparse and shallow punctures, forming a somewhat denser preapical series. T2 with oblique punctures, slightly finer and deeper than those on T1, interspaces at most slightly exceeding puncture diameter and densely micropunctate; preapical area with much larger and denser punctures. T3 sculpted similar to preapical area of T2, but punctures sparser. T4-5 with sparse fine punctures. S1 irregularly rugose on posterior enlarged part. S2-5 similar to respective tergites but punctures sparser and deeper. T6 and S6 densely micropunctate. Head and upper face of mesosoma with short reddish-golden pubescence, denser on vertex; sides and base of clypeus and sides of mesosoma with very short silvery pubescence; posterolateral angles of propodeum with longer and fine white setae; metasoma with very short brownish pubescence, some short oblique setae on S2-5.

Black; following parts yellow: oblique lines on apical half of clypeus, vertical line on interantennal space, small spot on upper part of gena, large basal triangle on mandible, narrow transverse line on median third of pronotum, anterior angles of metanotum, pointed projections of submarginal carina, apical bands on T1-3 (wider on T2) and S2-3, indistinct basal line on fore tibia; following parts red: apical margin of clypeus, scape, narrow posterior margin of pronotum, tegula, apex of parategula, sides of T1, most of S1, indistinct apical margin of T4-5 and S4-5; flagellum orange on ventral face; legs brownred. Wings fusco-hyaline, with weak brassy reflections.

Male. Unknown.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal.

E t y m o l o g y: The examined specimen was labeled as paratype of " Nortonia quadrata " by Giordani Soika. Since the holotype designated by Giordani Soika could not be located, a similar but different name is provided to avoid mixing up "true" and "false" types.